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Quote by James Howard Kunstler

“We will have to make new arrangements, or revive bygone ones. We may, for another example, see the return of the boarding house.”

Quote by James Howard Kunstler

Author

James Howard Kunstler

James Howard Kunstler is an American author known for his critical analysis of American culture in the post-industrial age. His work often focuses on urban planning and environmental issues, particularly his criticism of suburbanization and car culture. more

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“Two decades from now, I doubt that the home building industry, so called, will even exist as we have known it.”

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“The increment of new development will be the single building lot, if we are lucky, and most of the codes that are now enforced will be ignored because the redundancies they mandate will not be affordable.”

Ifs Building Development Lucky Code Ignored Affordable Mandates Redundancy

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“I abhor the word "consumer." Consumers, unlike citizens, have no implicit duties, obligations, or responsibilities to the common good. It's a degrading term. The use of it degrades the public discussion.”

Use Term Common Responsibility Duty Citizens Obligation Consumers Discussion Common Good Degrade Degrading Implicit

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“I believe most of suburbia is unreformable and will not be fixed.”

Believe I Believe Fixed Suburbia

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“[Suburbia] represents, after all, the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world. We built it during our most affluent period of history, and in the decades to come we will be comparatively destitute collectively. In short, we will not have the resources to retrofit most of suburbia.”

World Periods Resources Built Decades World History Affluent Destitute Suburbia

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“We are in for a fiesta of default, repossession, and distress selling of suburban property, much of which will lose its presumed usefulness and monetary value in an energy-scarce economy.”

Values Energy Loses Economy Property Selling Distress Usefulness Scarce Monetary Default Fiesta Monetary Value

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“Consider how badly-built suburbia is. Many business buildings are not designed to outlast their tax depreciation periods, and the McHouses are made of particle board, vinyl siding, and stapled-on trim. A lot of suburbia will simply become the slums of the future. Most of the rest will be salvage or ruins.”

Made Building Periods Taxes Built Ruins Boards Particles Slums Vinyl Salvage Suburbia Depreciation Siding

Author:James Howard Kunstler

“The industrial age is over. What follows will be life lived on a much smaller and finer scale.”

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“In my view, suburbia in general has very poor prospects. I think it will only become devalued and probably more dangerous. It's chief characteristic was that it represented a living arrangement with no future - and that future is now here.”

Thinking Poor Views Dangerous Chiefs Characteristics Arrangements Prospects Suburbia

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“Under the current high energy / high entropy regime, sustainable development is a joke.”

Energy Development Jokes Currents Regimes Sustainable Development Entropy High Energy

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